In Wisconsin, anyone who pulls a building permit on a one- or two-family home needs a Dwelling Contractor certification from the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). The company also needs a certified Dwelling Contractor Qualifier, and the state’s rules for that person set a 12-hour course with tests built in, with no separate roofing trade exam.
The state fees to get both credentials come to $85 as of October 2026, and your liability insurance or bond has to be in place before DSPS issues the certificate.
You need the certificate to pull a permit on a one- or two-family home
Wis. Stat. 101.654 says no one may obtain a building permit for a one- or two-family dwelling without the certification. A homeowner who lives in the house, or will, and pulls a permit for work on it is exempt.
Whether a reroof needs a permit at all depends on the town. Under the state’s dwelling code, permit applications for alterations and repairs to existing homes go to the city, village, town or county “when required by local ordinance.” The same tear-off can need a permit in one town and none in the next, so call the building department in each town you work and ask what it requires for a reroof.
Under a Wisconsin Attorney General opinion (OAG 6-10), a local licensing ordinance is preempted if it asks someone seeking a permit on a one- or two-family home for more financial backing, education or testing than state law does. If a town’s license asks for more than the state’s, ask its building department which ordinance it is relying on.
The dwelling code does not apply to homes for three or more families. Before you bid commercial work or a larger apartment building, ask that permit office what it wants from a roofing contractor.
The company holds one credential and its qualifier holds the other
The business holds the Dwelling Contractor certification. DSPS takes the application only from the owner, a partner applying for a partnership, or the chairman or chief executive of a corporation.
The company also has to hold, or employ, someone certified as a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier. Under the rule (SPS 305.31), that person can be the owner or an employee. If your qualifier is an employee and leaves, the company has no qualifier until someone else is certified, so put a second person through the course before you need one.
The qualifier takes a 12-hour course in place of a trade exam
To get the qualifier credential, a person finishes at least 12 hours of a DSPS-approved course in dwelling construction within the year before applying. The course and its tests cover the codes and the business side of construction, including lien law, accounting, ethics and best business practices. Providers check photo ID when you register.
The qualifier credential lasts two years, and renewing it takes 12 hours of approved continuing education, at least 4 of them on construction law and codes, contracts, liability and risk management.
Log the hours as you take them, because DSPS lists a $25 late fee for continuing education.
Insurance or a bond has to be on file first
To get the business certificate, the company proves one of two things: a surety bond of at least $5,000, or general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence covering injury, death or property damage to others. It also shows worker’s comp where state law requires it, and that it pays unemployment contributions where those apply.
A small bond limits the jobs you can take. With a bond under $25,000, DSPS issues a restricted certificate, and you agree not to work on any home where the estimated cost of the job is more than the bond. Compare the bond amount with your typical contract before you choose a bond over a liability policy.
A lapse in coverage suspends the certificate. An insurer or surety has to give DSPS 30 days’ written notice before cancelling, or 10 days for an unpaid premium. If you don’t file proof of a replacement inside that window, DSPS suspends the certificate without notice or a hearing, so send DSPS new proof every time you change carriers.
The business renews every year and the qualifier every two
These are the DSPS fees for the two credentials as of October 2026.
| Credential | Who holds it | Fee to start | Valid for | To renew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwelling Contractor | The business | $25 plus a $15 application fee | 1 year from the date issued | $25 |
| Dwelling Contractor Qualifier | One person | $30 plus a $15 application fee | 2 years | $30 and 12 hours of education |
The table leaves out the course fee and the insurance premium. Letting either credential lapse past the point of renewal brings a $200 reinstatement fee.
The business certificate renews every year on the date it was first issued, so it may not line up with the qualifier’s renewal. DSPS opens renewal online about four weeks before a credential expires and emails the address on file.
A lapse can cost you more than the state fee. Google’s Local Services Ads ask roofers for a state business license and owner license “where applicable by local law,” without saying which Wisconsin credential that means. One exterior remodeler who also roofs wrote on r/smallbusiness that their Local Services account was suspended for a time because they hadn’t sent in new licensing soon enough. Put both expiry dates on the office calendar a month ahead.
Wisconsin bans deductible promises and sets what a roofing contract must include
Wis. Stat. 100.65 covers any contractor who repairs or replaces a roof on a one- or two-family home. No contractor may promise, in an ad or anywhere else, to pay or rebate any part of the homeowner’s insurance deductible.
Before a roofing contract on a home is signed, the homeowner gets a boldface statement asking whether the work ties to an insurance claim, plus a detachable cancellation form. If the carrier denies the claim in whole or in part, the homeowner can cancel until midnight of the third business day after getting the denial in writing. Payments come back within 10 days, apart from certain emergency work already done. Print both forms into every residential roofing contract. What a Roofer Can Legally Do on an Insurance Claim, From Deductibles to Contingency Agreements covers the rest of the claim side.
The state’s home improvement rules (ATCP 110) require a written contract when the homeowner pays anything before the job is finished, or when you started the sale at their door, by phone or mail, or with a flyer. The contract gives the names and addresses of your company and the salesperson, describes the work and the main materials, and states the total price. You also have to tell the homeowner which permits the job needs, and you can’t start until they’re issued. A homeowner who loses money over a violation can recover twice the loss plus costs and attorney fees. Roofing Contract Template: The Clauses a Residential Roofing Contract Needs has a contract to start from.
Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan license roofers by exam
- Minnesota. Anyone contracting with a homeowner for roof coverings, sheathing, weatherproofing, insulation or roof repair on a one- to four-family home needs a residential roofer, residential building contractor or residential remodeler license. Each qualifying person passes a written exam.
- Illinois. The state issues a limited roofing license for residential buildings of eight units or fewer, or an unlimited one. The qualifying party takes the exam and must be a W-2 employee, and bonds run $10,000 for limited and $25,000 for unlimited. Local permits there require proof of the state license. Illinois Roofing License: Requirements, Exam and Cost has the detail.
- Michigan. Roofing is one of the trades under its residential maintenance and alteration contractor license, which names the trade, and a person qualifies by passing the exam.
If storm work pulls you across a border, get that state’s license before you sign a homeowner there.
Have these in hand before your first Wisconsin permit
- A call to each town’s building department about whether a reroof needs a permit
- General liability of at least $250,000 per occurrence, or a bond of at least $5,000 (under $25,000, it caps the size of each job)
- Worker’s comp and unemployment accounts if the law requires them for your crew
- A qualifier who has finished a DSPS-approved 12-hour course, plus a backup if that person is an employee
- The business certificate, applied for by the owner, a partner or the chief executive
- Both renewal dates on the calendar a month ahead
- No deductible promises in your ads, and the claim statement and cancellation form in every contract
The certificate lets you pull the permit, and the next job still depends on homeowners nearby finding your company when they search for a roofer. The free Google Maps heatmap lets you pick your Google profile and a search, and in a few minutes shows your rank at 49 points around your office.